Today, I have signed into law H.R. 1828, the "Syria Accountability
and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2003." The Act is intended
to strengthen the ability of the United States to conduct an effective
foreign policy.

Section 5 of the Act purports to impose upon the President
requirements to take certain actions against Syria unless the President
either determines and certifies to the Congress that the Government of
Syria has taken specific actions, or determines that it is in the
national security interest of the United States to waive such
requirements and reports the reasons for that determination to the
Congress. A law cannot burden or infringe the President's exercise of
a core constitutional power by attaching conditions precedent to the
use of that power. The executive branch shall construe and implement
section 5 in a manner consistent with the President's constitutional
authority to conduct the Nation's foreign affairs and as Commander in
Chief, in particular with respect to the conduct of foreign diplomats
in the United States, the conduct of United States diplomats abroad,
and the exportation of items and provision of services necessary to the
performance of official functions by United States Government personnel
abroad.

Section 6 of the Act requires an officer in the executive branch to
furnish information to the Congress on various subjects involving Syria
and terrorism. The executive branch shall construe section 6 in a
manner consistent with the President's constitutional authority to
withhold information the disclosure of which could impair foreign
relations, national security, the deliberative processes of the
Executive, or the performance of the Executive's constitutional
duties.

My approval of the Act does not constitute my adoption of the
various statements of policy in the Act as U.S. foreign policy. Given
the Constitution's commitment to the Presidency of the authority to
conduct the Nation's foreign affairs, the executive branch shall
construe such policy statements as advisory, giving them the due weight
that comity between the legislative and executive branches should
require, to the extent consistent with U.S. foreign policy.